


He shines for you

by Ex-Genesis (orphan_account)



Category: Disney RPF
Genre: Incest, M/M, Pre-Slash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-26
Updated: 2010-06-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:50:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Ex-Genesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin usually stays out of the way, keeps his thoughts to himself, but it's time, and shopping for Danielle's engagement ring gives him a couple of ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He shines for you

For most of his life Kevin waited to be told to do something before acting. When he was three and five, he got his PJs and brought them to his mother so she could help get them on and tuck him into bed, because she said so. When he was seven he read his flimsy books because his teacher told him to. When he was nine and ten, he let Joe hang out with he and his friends because his father had given him a look. A look that had definitely told him he had better. As he got older it was things like not playing his guitar too loudly, including Nick in the secrets he and Joe shared as his younger brother shot glares at the hands covering their mouths as they spoke.  
  
Then, as he became more social, or was put into a social environment, what he was told to do changed. Go say hello to Marie, Kevin. Take off your jacket and relax, son. Dude, take a breath; they like you, I promise. Chill, bro. Come on, Kev, play background for me; I need your help. Sometimes he just needed help to get passed the barriers he set up for himself. But he had to be told to move passed them before he could. With Danielle, it took a pretty big shove from Joe as Kevin's feet sunk into the sand at his resistance as he shook his head, saying tomorrow, tomorrow, but Joe had none of it, hissing in his ear, "You are  _not_  missing this chance. Go fucking talk to her, man!"  
  
And even passed that there were the times  _with_  Danielle. It was soft-sweet tones, but she was telling him to none the less. Sit by me. Hold my hand. A kiss. I meant a kiss on the lips, sweetheart. Tell me what you want, where you want this to go; tell me you love me. He loved her so much, and at that, he had let it all spill out of his mouth, and she kissed him slow and long realizing what a dam he had built up, how long he must have felt that way. Kevin just needed to be told. Once people understood that about him, they knew how to get him out of his shell, how to become a part of his family.  
  
He wasn't the only one though. Not all the time. Most of the time, sure, but sometimes there were others who were just as clueless or just as insecure. Usually he stayed out of others' lives. The only time he rarely interjected was in defense of his family. Diplomatic and kind, he had so many boundaries that he barely ever pushed.  
  
For years and years he watched his two closest brothers grow up along side of him. He could tell you their flaws and their best qualities in a second, both admiring and mocking them both in a way only he and Frankie were allowed, and since Frankie was too young to understand everything fully, it was mostly just Kevin. He knew his brothers better than his parents could say they could, though he'd never tell Denise, and dad already knew, so what would be the use?  
  
Sometimes he was pretty sure he knew them better than they knew themselves, his two best friends, his two worst enemies. There'd been many times, too many times, when their relationship would get in the way of their friendship with Kevin. He couldn't always keep his upset to himself, though usually he showed it by simply walking away or letting himself trail out of the conversation they didn't need him involved in. When Joe would ask Nick to go somewhere with him, and Nick tossed him a sideways glance after already having pulled his shoes on and stood, an after thought, Kevin would hold up his phone indicating he had a little tlc he needed to give Danielle. It was the worst when she was at work and couldn't respond until well after his brothers had already returned. Of course it hurt. It always hurt.  
  
In the back of his mind, though, he knew they were different. He knew and that's why he could always play it cool like it didn't bother him, because they were different, everything about them. The fact was, he only ever got bothered by it because he  _was_  an afterthought, not because he actually minded not being with them for a few hours out of the day. It was realizing that which made him realize a few other things, like how Nick and Joe seemed not to desire that time apart, at least not that time when it was more than an hour. When Nick and Joe were being moody, then sure, sometimes they could go a while longer, but otherwise...  
  
Kevin knew, but he stayed out of peoples' business. Sooner or later, things changed, though. Some time it became annoying to watch them and think that they just didn't get it. All of this need between them building up and never lessening, never taking a break. Sometimes it was just plain frustrating. It wasn't exactly comforting, knowing what was between them, seeing it. Kevin had constant battles inside himself telling himself that it was a sin, and that he was just seeing things because his mind was kind of like that, imaginative. Then the other part of him, the heart of him told him that it wasn't a sin, and that he definitely wasn't imagining the fact that his two best friends were in love with each other.  
  
Two people he cared about were wasting precious time, and that thought was what killed him, what finally broke him, and finally, for once in his life, he made a decision to get involved, scary a thought as that was. When he made his decision it was shortly after he'd kissed Danielle, felt her fingers intertwine with his and felt a most sincere swell of his heart as he opened his eyes and looked into hers. He'd thought, at first, how much he loved her, never wanted to let her go, wanted to marry her, have children with her, spend the rest of his life with her, the family they would form, grow old with her.  
  
Then Joe had come in with a ridiculous smile on his face, Nick stumbling in after him, they looked around at the same time, and then at each other, and without a word they began laughing, heading off in the same direction together without any discussion. He could tell the difference, after so many years, between the times they had actually talked before hand, and between the times they'd talked with their eyes like it was nothing special. Heck if Kevin knew what they were thinking ninety percent of the time. It was just their thing. That was just their thing, and he'd had the thought as Dani tightened her grip on his hand, how they should be able to have more than just that, have everything, like he had with the girl right beside him.  
  
Kevin went shopping for her ring a month later, taking his best friends and brothers with him. While Joe distracted himself looking at everything around the store that was slightly more quirky than beautiful, Nick ended up staring at the rings with interest and purpose by Kevin's side. Most of the time, Kev was technically closer to Joe. Still, Nick and he had a bond that no one else had and when Kevin placed his hand on Nick's shoulder, he received a serious and inquiring look from his little brother. "What?" Nick asked, slightly suspicious, mostly worried.  
  
Breathing in for a moment, Kevin decided to take the long way around. "...You know how I'm asking Dani to marry me?" Saying it out loud still made him get goosebumps on his arm. He knew she'd say yes, but at the same time, he had his doubts and it was all very overwhelming and exciting. Moving passed it, he focused on Nick who had furrowed his eyebrows at the question, who then pointedly looked at the rings like, 'Duh...?' "Well," Kevin started again feeling his throat tighten a little, "You know, does anyone - Isn't there someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, that you just want to always be with?" It took not even a moment after the question had left his mouth before Nick had turned his head to look right at Joe, before turning his head back.  
  
Innocently, sounding as if he honest to God believed it Nick stated with a shrug, "Not yet. I'm sixteen. I... Don't know. Why?" His eyes were narrowed a bit at Kevin, and he huffed out a breath of annoyance when Kevin rolled his eyes and let his hand fall to the counter in a half-formed fist. They studied the rings below the glass for a few more minutes.  
  
Joe walked up shortly after, putting an arm around Nick's shoulders and for some reason found it necessary to whisper to Nick that he'd found something he wanted. Or wanted to get for Nick. Kevin couldn't quite catch all of it, standing on the other side of Nick while pretending not to listen. As he sighed, Joe and Nick glanced at him, Nick biting his bottom lip a little. "Joe, not today. We're buying Dani's engagement ring." At Nick's tone, Joe gave a surrendering smile and nodded his head. This interaction Kevin had been allowed to witness.  
  
Turning his head with raised eyebrows, Kevin waved them off easily. "It's okay. If you guys need to take care of something, I'll still be here. Trying to decide." He couldn't help how resigned his voice sounded at the end. Big decisions drained him. He saw Joe look expectantly at Nick and then when Nick looked back at him with gratitude in his eyes, Kevin nodded his head and watched them walk off to a wall of casings with dangling necklaces.  
  
Perhaps his first attempt hadn't worked all that well, but Kevin didn't want to give up. In this case, it was Nick he knew he could get to, and after giving them a few minutes, stealing glances at them, their proximity, the way their eyes lit up just from talking to each other, the smile Nick let show only around Joe and when playing his music, he feigned helplessness and called Nick back over. He knew it was going to be a long-shot before he even started to say anything, and he felt himself blush at the stupidity of the question, but went with it anyway.  
  
"I need your help." Nick looked at him questioningly, stepping closer to the glass case. "Uh, so Danielle's skin tone is pretty close to Joe's, right?" Nick thought on it for a moment before nodding. "Well, which do you think would look best on - I mean, say you were buying a ring for Joe, which one would you pick? Like, which one would look best on him, you think?" Inwardly he was cringing, and maybe outwardly too when he realized Nick was pursing his lips while studying his face.  
  
"Uh..." Nick started, shaking his head a little, and then putting his elbows on the glass, settling his face in between his fists so that he could look down into the ring case. It took a while, like he was actually considering each ring and how it would look on his brother's finger before finally pointing one out, tapping the glass a little, as if he was sure. He looked back up at Kevin and he nodded his head to Nick before calling Joe over.  
  
"Hey Joe, can you tell me something?" Joe walked over in a half-jog, a smile already on his face, eager to help out. "Would you wear that ring for the rest of your life?" he asked, avoiding Nick's look, sure it would be something between 'what-the-hell?' and 'are-you-serious-Kevin?'. After just a second Joe was nodding his head.  
  
"Hell yeah, I would. Why, you gonna buy it for me?" Joe laughed a little before socking Kevin in the arm, and Kevin rolled his eyes.   
  
"No, I'm not. But Nick said he would." He said it so seriously, and when Joe got a small smile on his lips, Kevin dared a glance at Nick just as Joe turned his eyes to Nick as well. His little brother's eyes were bugging out of his head a little, and he looked like he was about to tackle Kevin and punch him into the ground but quickly regained himself, blushing a little in the process.  
  
Joe pulled Nick into a sideways hug, voice soft and a slight mutter asking, "Aw, ya did, Nick?" Almost like he was completely serious... Kevin shook his head at himself realizing how bad he was at this if he kept forgetting that, oh right, Joe  _was_  completely serious, and Nick  _actually_ _wanted_  to buy that ring for Joe.  
  
Nick's throat tightened visibly and Kevin expected him to clear his throat for a second before he remembered that would be a sign of weakness, and smiled a little when Nick moved passed that. Hesitantly, he said slowly, "Well, I mean if you really want it..." Joe cut him off, pulling him into a full hug which had Nick struggling to get out of his embrace, but finally he gave up and leaned into Joe a little until the waves of feeling passed and his older brother felt like it would be okay to end the hug.  
  
While Nick straightened himself out, Joe wandered back over to the necklaces. When a clerk came out, he asked her for some assistance and put in an order for the ring. She asked him what size, and he immediately told her size seven which caused Kevin to, once again, raise his eyebrows a little. He probably could have guessed but still, Kevin certainly didn't know either Nick or Joe's ring sizes well enough to be so sure. Nick glanced his way and shrugged off Kevin's look. When the clerk walked away, Kevin scooted closer to Nick, lowering his voice and asked something of a follow-up question.  
  
"So... You're buying Joe an engagement ring. How exciting. Right?" Nick's mouth dropped open a little and he raised up, off the counter a little, looking into Kevin's eyes, searching before scoffing like that was the most ridiculous thing in the world, too ridiculous, so ridiculous it might be really, really exciting to be buying Joe an engagement ring. Kevin laughed a little. He pushed on though, voice gentle as always, and sincere. "I know I'm excited to be buying Dani hers. I mean, I know she'll say yes, or I wouldn't even be here, right?" Nick just stayed silent, looking straight ahead of him both taking in what Kevin was saying and organizing his own thoughts. Kevin bumped shoulders with Nick as he leaned down beside him. "Joe was pretty easy. Dani'll be that way too, right?" And so what if Kevin used this whole thing to calm his own nerves a little, right?  
  
Finally turning his gaze back to Kevin, all serious-faced and thumb at his lip, Nick nodded, like he was realizing a million things all at once and still trying to be perfect, and helpful, because he was Nick Jonas and he couldn't be anything less. "Kevin," he started, but Kev just shook his head, silencing Nick, who looked down through the case that Joe's ring  _wasn't_  in.  
  
"Listen Nick, I know it's gonna be rough. But everything will be worth it." Kevin inwardly acknowledged that what he was saying was both for himself and for Nick. "You've just got to trust him. I know you can trust him." Nick nodded, still looking down, taking everything in. After a long minute of silence, Kevin spoke up once more. "If you want me to talk to him..."  
  
"No." Nick looked up after that, stern, stubborn, ready. "No, I'll do it. I mean, I've got the ring on order already, right...? He kind of - already... And you've got Dani to talk to, so..." Kevin nodded, smiling at the mention of her name, smiling that he'd gotten through this whole thing, and that Nick was obviously going to get through it too. "Kevin." He looked at his younger brother, smile just slowly fading from his face. "I don't really know when..."  
  
"I know Nick. Me either. I don't know either." It sounded hopeful though, and like that actually meant everything was going to work out perfectly. He watched as Nick took another good, long look at Joe who quickly turned feeling Nick's gaze at his back and smiled warm and bright. "God, he was easy..." Kevin said softly, more to himself, but he saw Nick smile at that, genuine, and Nick nodded his head a little.


End file.
